Panorama Template Structure

This page provides an overview of Palo Alto Networks Panorama Template Structure and how it helps in managing firewall configurations efficiently.

Introduction

Panorama is Palo Alto Networks' centralized management solution for configuring and managing multiple firewalls. A Template in Panorama allows you to define and apply configuration settings across multiple firewalls, ensuring consistency and simplifying management.

Template Structure

A Panorama Template is structured into different components, which help in organizing firewall configurations.

1. Templates

Templates store device-level settings such as:

 * Interfaces & IP Addresses
 * DNS, NTP, and Logging
 * Virtual Routers & Static Routes
 * High Availability (HA) settings

Example: If you have multiple branch offices with similar network configurations, a single template can be applied to all.

2. Template Stacks

A Template Stack is a collection of multiple Templates.
Stacks allow you to apply configurations in a layered approach, where settings from different templates are merged.

Example: If you have:

 * A base template for common settings (DNS, NTP, Logging)
 * A region-specific template (US-East, US-West)
 * A branch-specific template (Branch1, Branch2)

You can create a Template Stack that combines all three for each branch.

3. Device Groups vs. Templates

Panorama uses Device Groups and Templates, but they serve different purposes:

Device Groups vs. Templates
Feature	Device Groups	Templates
Configuration Scope	Security Policies, NAT, Objects	Interfaces, Routing, System Settings
Example	URL Filtering, Security Rules	IP Addressing, NTP, DNS, HA
Applied To	Logical grouping of firewalls	Individual firewall devices

Benefits of Using Templates

Consistency: Apply uniform configurations across all firewalls.
Efficiency: Reduce manual configuration efforts.
Scalability: Easily manage multiple devices with different settings.

How to Create a Template

Step 1: Go to Panorama → Templates → Add Template Step 2: Define Template Name and Description Step 3: Configure the required settings (Interfaces, Routing, HA, etc.) Step 4: Save and apply the Template to the firewalls

How to Create a Template Stack

Step 1: Go to Panorama → Template Stacks → Add Stack Step 2: Add Templates in the order of priority Step 3: Assign the Template Stack to firewalls

Example Use Case

You manage 100 branch firewalls and need:

Common settings for all branches (DNS, NTP, Logging)
Region-based routing settings (East, West)
Branch-specific IP addressing

By using Templates and Stacks, you can easily manage these configurations without repetitive manual work.

Conclusion

Panorama Templates help streamline firewall management by providing structured and scalable configurations. Using Template Stacks further enhances flexibility by combining multiple configurations efficiently.

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Retrieved from your Panorama Wiki